Empire of Light

At a coastal town in Thatcher's Britain, aging Hilary Small (Olivia Colman) dutifully if absently tended to the management of the locale's beloved albeit decaying art deco movie theater. Her growing romantic involvement with the new hire, Stephen (Micheal Ward), a black college student, however, looks destined to run aground between the community's racial animus and her own emotional fragility. Evocative effort from Sam Mendes also stars Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moody. 115 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English.